Colin Kaepernick - Pro Football Rumors

NFC Notes: Kaepernick, Lions, Megatron

May 22nd, 2017 at 4:06pm CST by Zachary Links

A group will gather outside of the NFL’s headquarters on Wednesday to show support for former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, as ESPN.com’s Michael Rothstein writes.

“He stood up for us. It’s only right that he took our issues in our communities and brought it to a national level and sacrificed salary and being ostracized by the NFL,” nonprofit chair Kevin Livingston said. “It was only right that we stand up for him. I started this, literally, when he came to my office — I was moved. I work with parolees. People usually want to ostracize this particular population. Me working with him on the front lines and him coming to my office, this is not the first time I’ve worked with him. “So I thought it was only right that I stand up for him.”

In addition to the demonstration in Manhattan, there will also be pro-Kaepernick gatherings in Brooklyn, Harlem, Las Vegas, Milwaukee, Orlando, Florida, Chicago, Houston, Washington, D.C., Miami, Detroit, and other locations. The Seahawks are known to have some interest in Kaepernick, but the QB still remains without work.

Here’s more from the NFC:

Former Buccaneers first round pick Josh Freeman participated in an open CFL tryout in Dallas, as noted by Neil Stratton of Inside The League (on Twitter). Freeman, 29, has not appeared in an NFL game since he made one start for the Colts in 2015. Freeman’s agent tried to get the quarterback signed by Dallas last summer after Kellen Moore broke his leg. Dallas declined, but things worked out pretty OK for the team anyway in 2016.
Calvin Johnson is annoyed at the Lions for having to repay the unearned portion of his signing bonus, but Mike Florio of PFT argues that he could have avoided this predicament. The wide receiver had a salary of $15.95MM and a cap number of $24MM hitting the books in March 2016, so he could have held the line before opting to retire.
Vikings coach Mike Zimmer will be taking some time off to recovery from eye surgery, the team announced today. He’ll miss the start of OTA practices, but the hope is that he will be “back on the field in a few weeks.”

Colin Kaepernick “Not A Fit” For Cowboys

May 21st, 2017 at 3:42pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Cowboys could use a veteran backup behind starting quarterback Dak Prescott, but it doesn’t appear free agent Colin Kaepernick is in the club’s plans. Kaepernick is “not a fit” for Dallas, sources tell Todd Archer of ESPN.com.

At present, Kellen Moore is the only quarterback with any level of experience behind Prescott, although the Cowboys also signed two other undrafted college free agent signal-callers, Austin Appleby (Florida) and Cooper Rush (Central Michigan). Earlier this offseason, Dallas looked into free agent Josh McCown, and even met with the veteran, but McCown ultimately signed with the Jets.

Given that Moore has only started two NFL games since entering the league in 2012, the Cowboys seem likely to pursue at least one other veteran quarterback to compete for reserve duties behind Prescott. The free agent market doesn’t offer many inspiring options, but Zach Mettenberger, Luke McCown, Shaun Hill, Robert Griffin III, and Christian Ponder are among the passers Dallas could consider.

The Cowboys have become at least the second team to not express interest in Kaepernick, as the Buccaneers also didn’t target Kaepernick before signing Ryan Fitzpatrick last week. The Seahawks, however, are eyeing Kaepernick to play behind Russell Wilson.

NFC Notes: Jackson, Cowboys, Kaepernick, Bears

May 20th, 2017 at 10:02am CST by Ben Levine

Wide receiver DeSean Jackson signed a three-year, $33.5MM deal ($20MM guaranteed) with the Buccaneers earlier this offseason, and the organization is counting on the veteran to live up to this contract. With Jackson coming off the fifth 1,000-yard campaign of his career, offensive coordinator/receivers coach Todd Monken is expecting the 30-year-old to perform like a top receiver.

“How can we get DeSean Jackson up to playing at a really high level? Not that he’s still not capable of it, but how do we get him to play at why we paid him?’’ Monken told Rick Stroud of TampaBay.com. “I’ve told him that, ‘we have paid you a hell of a lot of money to be a damn good player. We’re not paying you a lot of money, this is a contract where we’re paying you for what you’ve done for us…we’re not paying like (Derek) Jeter the last three years…we don’t have any old street cred that we’re paying you. No. We need you to be a great player now. Okay? That’s why we gave you the money.

“You came here because of the money. Don’t give me all that bull about you came here because of the weather and Jameis. No. You came here because we paid you the most. You need to play like that. He gets that. He’s smart enough to understand that.’’

The Buccaneers could end up having one of the best receving corps in the NFL, as Jameis Winston will be throwing to a group that includes Jackson, Mike Evans, Adam Humphries and rookie Chris Godwin.

Let’s check out some more notes from around the NFC…

The Cowboys are currently rostering quarterbacks Dak Prescott and Kellen Moore (as well as undrafted free agents Cooper Rush and Austin Appleby), leading ESPN.com’s Todd Archer to wonder if the team will pursue another veteran signal-caller. The writer specifically dives into Colin Kaepernick‘s fit with the team, with Archer ultimately concluding that the embattled quarterback would be a solid backup to Prescott. Furthermore, the writer points out that Kaepernick would be a much more attractive choice than the other available veteran quarterbacks, including Robert Griffin III and Zach Mettenberger.
Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News expects Cowboys offensive guard Zack Martin to sign an extension during training camp, with the writer citing the extension’s signed by Travis Frederick and Tyron Smith. Martin hasn’t missed a regular game since entering the league as a first-rounder in 2014, and he’s been named to three straight Pro Bowls.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell wasn’t particularly impressed with the Bears offseason, especially when it came to the team’s handling of the quarterback position. While the organization could presumably find their future signal-caller among Mike Glennon and Mitch Trubisky, Barnwell still believes the organization paid too much for the free agent and sacrificed too many assets for the rookie. The pundit also wasn’t a fan of the Bears selection of several “small-school” prospects, including Ashland tight end Adam Shaheen and Kutztown offensive lineman Jordan Morgan. If there was a positive to take away from the Bears offseason, Barnwell points to the team’s improved secondary.

Bucs Didn’t Consider Colin Kaepernick

May 19th, 2017 at 2:37pm CST by Zachary Links

On Friday, the Buccaneers signed Ryan Fitzpatrick and the deal drew eye rolls from those who believe that the unemployed Colin Kaepernick is more deserving of a roster spot. Not only did the Bucs choose Fitzpatrick over Kaepernick, but it turns out that they did not consider Kaepernick for the No. 2 quarterback job at all, a source tells Mike Florio of PFT.

Kaepernick threw for 16 touchdowns and four interceptions in 2016 while Fitzpatrick tossed 12 TDs against 17 picks. Even the advanced metrics preferred Kaepernick as he earned a 61.6 overall score from Pro Football Focus, besting Fitzpatrick’s less atrocious 42.1 posting. Neither player set the world on fire last year, but by almost any measure, Kaepernick had the better year and his offense was by no means better than Fitzpatrick’s.

However, there are plenty of reasons why the Buccaneers probably went with Fitzpatrick without first mulling Kaepernick, and none of them pertain to Kaepernick’s social positions. Fitzpatrick was an above-average starter as recently as 2015 and he had two under-the-radar quality seasons before that with the Titans and Texans, respectively. Kaepernick, meanwhile, is now two years removed from being a respectable starter. There’s also the matter of playing styles to consider. Fitzpatrick is a pro-style quarterback who can fit the offense designed for Jameis Winston if he’s called upon. Kaepernick, however, would be better suited for a playbook with more designed runs and an offensive line that’s accustomed to the blocking schemes needed for a mobile QB.

The Bucs didn’t think about signing Kaepernick, but as we learned earlier this week, the Seahawks are taking a hard look at him.

Latest On Colin Kaepernick

May 16th, 2017 at 9:11pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Seahawks are considering Colin Kaepernick and Robert Griffin III as they look for a backup quarterback, but the club reportedly prefers the former 49ers signal-caller as a reserve behind starter Russell Wilson. Wilson, for what it’s worth, would be comfortable with Seattle adding Kaepernick despite the pair’s rivalry.

Let’s take a look at the latest on Kaepernick as his market seemingly heats up:

Kaepernick is fully intent on playing the 2017 campaign, and been getting ready for football as if he was a starting quarterback for an NFL team,” trainer Josh Hidalgo tells Peter King of TheMMQB.com. While clubs are reportedly concerned about Kaepernick’s weight and vegan diet, or the fact that he may be more committed to social justice issues than football, Hidalgo paints a strikingly different picture of the free agent quarterback. “From the beginning, Colin laid it out: These are the things NFL teams will be concerned about—my weight, my diet,” Hidalgo says. “Then we took care of his explosiveness, and now there is nothing he cannot do.”
The Seahawks’ interest in Kaepernick makes sense for a multitude of reasons, opines Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com. Given that multiple Seattle players have voiced support for Kaepernick’s stance on the national anthem, he wouldn’t present a problem in the locker room — especially because head coach Pete Carroll wouldn’t attempt to restrict what Kaepernick can or cannot say. On the field, Kaepernick doesn’t turn the ball over and can offer a running element, something Wilson couldn’t do in 2016 thanks to a litany of injuries.
Defensive lineman Michael Bennett is among the Seahawks players who would welcome Kaepernick with open arms, as he called Seattle a “perfect place” for Kaepernick during an appearance on 710 ESPN (link via Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com). “I think a person that’s dedicating their life to creating change, why wouldn’t you want that type of leadership in your locker room?” said Bennett. “I think he would be very good in our locker room,” Bennett said. “I don’t know why he wouldn’t. I think we all talk about the same issues. It’s just that he had the courage to be able to step up, and I get it.”

Russell Wilson Would Be OK With Kaepernick Signing

May 16th, 2017 at 3:26pm CST by Zachary Links

The Seahawks have some interest in signing Colin Kaepernick and starter Russell Wilson will not stand in the way of a potential deal. Even though the two quarterbacks are former divisional rivals, Wilson would not have any sort of problem with the signing, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links) hears.

Kaepernick and Wilson squared off a number of times in intra-divisional games, including the Seahawks’ victory over the Niners in the 2013 NFC Championship. If there was ever any real bad blood between the two QBs, however, it is water under the bridge now.

Signing Kaepernick could be somewhat polarizing for fans, but the Seahawks believe that he is the best backup option available, according to Rapoport. The Seahawks also looked into fellow former Niners QBs Blaine Gabbert and Christian Ponder, but they still see No. 7 as the No. 1 choice.

In regular season tilts against the Seahawks, Kaepernick went 2-6 in eight games. He completed just 55.61% of his passes and threw for only three TDs against seven interceptions.

Seahawks Like Kaepernick Over RG3

May 16th, 2017 at 7:59am CST by Zachary Links

This week, Pete Carroll made waves when he said that the team is considering both Colin Kaepernick and RG3 as potential backups for Russell Wilson. Apparently, the team’s interest in Kaepernick is far stronger than its interest in Griffin. Kaepernick is a “potential, legitimate option” that the Seahawks are mulling while the chance of a Griffin signing is more of a “remote possibility,” according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link).

A few short years ago, the idea of Griffin being a potential backup quarterback was unthinkable. Now, RGIII wishes he could get real consideration as a backup quarterback. As far as we know, no teams have really pursued him this spring and Carroll’s mention of him on Monday was the first time we’ve really heard his name from an NFL official this offseason.

Last year was supposed to be a fresh start for Griffin, but a major shoulder injury suffered in Week 1 of the 2016 season derailed everything. When the Browns activated him from IR later in the year, he still couldn’t recapture the magic of his 2012 rookie campaign. Griffin did help the Browns to their lone win last season, but he did very little to boost his own market heading into free agency.

RG3 completed 87 of 147 passes (59.2% completion rate) and threw for 886 yards with two scores against three interceptions last year. If he had enough snaps to qualify for Pro Football Focus’ rankings at QB, his overall score would have placed him among the worst at the position.

Seahawks Considering Kaepernick, RG3

May 15th, 2017 at 2:01pm CST by Zachary Links

The Seahawks are looking to add some competition behind starter Russell Wilson and that could lead them to sign a high-profile signal caller. When asked about the possibility of signing Colin Kaepernick or Robert Griffin III on Monday, Carroll said they are monitoring both players.

“We’re looking at everybody. We really are,” Carroll said (via ESPN.com’s Sheil Kapadia). “We’ve been tracking everything that’s going on, and we’ve got cap and roster issues and stuff like that that we’re still trying to manage properly. But quite frankly, yes, we are looking at all those guys.”

As it stands, Trevone Boykin is slated to be Wilson’s primary backup, but his March arrest probably has the team considering other options. Jake Heaps and UDFA Skyler Howard are also on the roster, but both lack NFL experience.

With today’s statement from Carroll, the Seahawks become the first known team to express any level of interest in Kaepernick or Griffin. Kaepernick, it seems, hasn’t found much of a market because of his controversial political views. Griffin, meanwhile, was lobbying for a chance with the Jets earlier this offseason but that interest was not reciprocated.

A case can be made that Kaepernick had something of a bounce back season in 2016 when he threw for 16 touchdowns against four interceptions and finished second among QBs in rushing yards with 468. When it comes to Griffin, no one really knows what to make of him after he missed all but five games in 2016. In that limited sample with the Browns, Griffin went 1-4 with two TDs against three picks and a poor 59.2% completion rate. We haven’t seen Griffin turn in anything close to a real season since 2014 and he hasn’t been able to reprise his outstanding 2012 rookie season.

NFC West Rumors: Kaepernick, Cardinals

May 12th, 2017 at 9:38am CST by Zachary Links

Take this one with a grain of driveway salt, but a sociologist with close ties to Colin Kaepernick says that three teams have contacted the quarterback since the start of free agency.

“They’ve asked, ‘Can he play? Does he want to play?’ “ Harry Edwards told USA Today’s Jarrett Bell. “The last question I can’t answer. The first question, absolutely. If Kaep makes up his mind, he wouldn’t only go in and make a team, he’d put pressure on somebody to start.”

Meanwhile, multiple sources with knowledge of the situation tell Mike Florio of PFT that no teams have made inquiries to the former 49ers QB or his reps. And, as noted by NBC Sports Bay Area, Kaepernick’s girlfriend also says the QB has not received interest from teams. There’s no way of knowing for sure, but it sounds like Edwards might not be as looped in as he claims to be.

Here’s more on Kaepernick and other items from the NFC West:

The No. 1 reason Kaepernick is unsigned is that he is not considered to be a starting-caliber player by any NFL evaluator anymore, Albert Breer of The MMQB tweets. Breer went on to explain a hypothesis that we’ve heard many times before: Kaepernick’s controversial views could be overlooked if he was a starting-caliber player, but teams do not want their backup QB to be a potential distraction for the team. For what it’s worth, we learned on Thursday that Kaepernick is supposedly back to his playing weight of ~230 pounds.
The Cardinals have five quarterbacks on the roster and they will be keeping all five of them for a while, a source tells Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic (on Twitter). In addition to starter Carson Palmer, the Cardinals also have Drew Stanton, new addition Blaine Gabbert, Zac Dysert, and Texas A&M product Trevor Knight under contract. It’s possible that the Cardinals see one or more of these players as trade bait. It’s also possible that the Cardinals just want to ensure that they come out of the summer with the two best backups for Palmer.
The Rams waived quarterback Aaron Murray on Thursday, just two months after signing him.
The Seahawks released cornerback Perrish Cox and a bunch of other players earlier this week.

Latest On Colin Kaepernick

May 11th, 2017 at 12:06pm CST by Zachary Links

Not only does Colin Kaepernick remain unsigned, but it seems the quarterback has been unable to draw anything resembling real interest from NFL teams. There have been a myriad of theories floated around about what has led to his unemployment but a recent column from Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports disputes many of the knocks against Kaepernick.

It has been said that Kaepernick’s vegan diet has caused him to lose too much weight, but a source familiar with his workouts tells Robinson that he has bulked back up to his playing weight of 230 pounds. He’s still on a meatless regimen, but Tony Gonzalez, Arian Foster, and Ricky Williams all succeeded in the NFL after adopting vegan or vegan-type diets, so it can be argued that concerns about the way he eats are without merit. In addition to that, the source says that he has fully recovered from all past surgeries.

Robinson also received further denials on rumors of Kaepernick asking for starting quarterback money, which would mean roughly $9MM or more. Sources close to the controversial QB say that he has not even spoken to any team about a salary, so any reports about him making a demand like that are bogus. Robinson adds that he has personally been unable to substantiate reports of Kaepernick making fiscal demands.

From a talent perspective, it’s hard to argue that Kaepernick isn’t deserving of a roster spot somewhere. However, it sounds like teams are avoiding him because they don’t believe there is enough upside to justify the dreaded specter of a media distraction.